Improvement in water-meters



the water by the stream issuin :den

www er# efwam atent icui Letters Patent No. 111,143, dated January 24, 1871.

IMPROVEMEN'I lN WATER-METERS.

The Schedule referred to I, WEBSTER PARK, of Norwich, in the county of New London and Stateof Connecticut, have invented` of which the following is' an Improved Water-Meter a specification.

rlhe nature of myinventio n consists in ascertain-ing the quantity of water owing through the meter, byl

a combination of mechanical' devices for moving the indicator in conformitywith both the velocity andthe size of a constantlyvarying stream. For this purpose the water on entering the meter is passed through Aa narrow orifice or gate, so constructed that it willclose automatically 'when no water is running, and will be opened by the water sufficient to allow its discharge. In front of this self-closing gate some suitable device should be placed for ascertaining'thevelocity oi the stream issuing through the orifice. v

W'hile I would not wish to confine my invention to any particular device, I have found, by experiment,- that an ordinary plain circular wheel withsmall radial ioats, as shown in the drawing, will be revolved in g from the gate with suiic'ient accuracy.

This wheel gives motion to an ordinary plain toothwheel, the radius of which should be at to the height of the open gate.

Upon the `side of'this tooth-wheel is adjusted a small friction-wheel, which, while it slides freely upon also'rotates its shaft, placed at right angles with the axis ofthe tooth-wheel, its shaft being longer than the radius ofthe tooth-wheel, so that it may turn in suitable bearings, and having a worm or pinion, so as to give motion to the ordinary registering mechanism used in all meters. y

This frictiou-wheelis yoked to the gate, and so adjusted that when the gate is closed the wheel will stand upon` the center of the tooth-wheel, but when the gate is opened the friction-wheelwill be removed from the center of the tooth-wheel the exact distance the gate is opened, so that it will revolve upon the periphery of a circle on theside of the revolving toothleast equal wheel, the radius of which circle is exactly equal to the distance thegate is open. y The principle of my invention being that the quantity of water discharged through an orifice of agiven width with a given velocity, will vary directly as the height ofthe orifice, and that the velocity of the friction-wheel and'its shaft will vary directly as the radius of that portion of the tooth-wheel which gives motion to it, therefore, this radius and the height of the open gate being kept quite equal bythe yoke, the speed of the registering mechanism will be commensurate to the quantity of water discharged through the gate at `any height,`while the velocity of the water through the gate continues the same; but' when its velocity varies the speed of the Heat-wheel also corin these Letters Patent and making p'rt of the same.

respondingly varies, and, independent of the `movement of the gate, directly varies the-speed of the reg-` istering mechanism according to the velocity of the of the quantity .of water discharged under all varying heads and through any-sized orilice. i

The object of. my invention being to construct a `small and cheap water-meter, capable of indicating a thesame time it will permit the discharge of a large stream, the size shown in the drawing being sufficient to indicate the water discharged from an ordinary faucet.

Then discharging -a large stream, it' is somewhat meters, as nearly all the water lowsthrough ,the upper part of the gate without coming in contact with any of theworking parts of the. meter.

In the accompanying 'drawinghligure l is a top view, partlyin section, of a watermetcr embodying my improvement;

ing the supply and discharge-pipes through the shell ot' the meter, 'l T being the screws for securing the two parts ofthe shell W together;

Figures 3 and 4 are front and side'views of the gate` Figures 5 and 6 are top and 'sideviews of the gate l?, in the same positions as in figs. l and 2, respect ively, lshowing the construction of the rod or yokevE, by which the gate F is connected to the frictionfwheel M, c being the attachment by which the lever O raises the gate lll, as hereinafter described. Y

A is a chamber, into `which .the water is received.

. F is a plain sliding gate, which should be iitted accurately to its seat and adj usted to slide up into the chamber 1t, so as to uncover the whole device. I

B isv a flexible cap of rubber, leather, or other proper material, adjusted over an opening into the chamber A. p y n l) rests upon the cap B, and by means of the lever C, which is pivoted at X and connected to the rod E attached to the bottom of the outer side of the gate ll, when the water flows into the chamber A it easily to close the gate.

G is the wheel, the floats L of which, when it revolves, come in front o1" the bottom of the orifice, so that when the smallest stream is running it will impinge upon their center'.4 Y

S partly surrounds the wheel G, so as to turn the Ystream `against the loata'and is of equal height with water, so that by a combination of these two devices my invention becomes a sufficiently accurate indicatorY very small discharge Vby'concentrating the water into I a small stream. impinging upon the floats, while atV similar in its operation to the well-known proportional i Figure 2 is a side view of the same, the arrows showseat or frame F, showing the form of the orice; and

presses up the cap B and raises the gate F enough to permitlits discharge, K being a small weight sufficientthe gate F, so as to make the discharge of water fromall parts' of the orifice uniform.

I is a worin, which moves the tootI1'-wheelH ,wliose radius equals the height of the gate F.

M isthe'jiction-wheel, which slides upon the upper sguarepart of the shaft 0,'and bymeans of the rod E is yoked to the gateF so as to rise and fall simultaneously with it. v

N is a slight spring, to -press the wheel M upon the side of' the WheeIvH.

l is the ordinary register, which receives its motion from the 'lower end of the shaft O, the dials of which may be seen through a glass in the upper part of the. shell.

Having described my apparatus, I would .not conuemy invention strictly. to this mode of construeton; but

I claim as my invention- 1. The combination and arrangement of the selfclosing gate F and cap B with the water-wheel'G L, and with the wheels H M and yoke E, forthe purpose of moving the indicators by both the 'velocity and the depth of the stream, and hence according to the quantity of waterlowing through the meter, substantially as and for the purpose herein described.l

, WEBSTER PARK.,

Witnesses ALBERT F. PARK,-

WILLIAMS. LAIGHTON.'

3. The combination and arrangement of the self- 

